Arms Forest has over two miles of blazed trails that create connections between Burlington High School, Rock Point, and a church on North Avenue. The ecosystem here is one of the best examples of an upland forest in Burlington and is home to many rare plants. This Urban Wild provides critical habitat for mammal movement between Lake Champlain and the Intervale. To recreate in the forest sustainably, please stay only on multi-use blue blazed trails or hike-only yellow blazed trails. Always keep your pets on a leash to avoid them trampling rare plants, exhausting or killing wildlife, and respecting other trail users and their pets.
Once part of a tract containing a dairy farm, Arms Forest today has regrown to be an area of rich biodiversity. Highlights along the trails include a historic quarry from which stone may have been used to build the Ethan Allen Tower, wildflowers that bloom alongside the trails in spring, and a wide variety of trees that show off Vermont's four season. The forest is best suited for hikers, but also serves as a quiet and woodsy connector between the Burlington Greenway bike path and North Avenue.
Since early 2020, work has begun transitioning the forest management to a new master plan. The plan calls for new trailhead information, wayfinding signs and blazes, improving existing major trails, closing unsustainable minor trails, and creating several new trails. More info can be found on enjoyburlington.com.
Please remember:
Visit Burlington Department of Parks & Recreation online for more information or contact:
Access Arms Forest from behind Burlington High School or behind the North Avenue Alliance Church. Parking is available at limited times at the High School, or at North Beach or Leddy Park (requiring an additional walk to arrive at the natural area). From the bus turnaround at the school a marble chip path leads into the forest, from behind the Technical Center and other school buildings, several trails start in different directions, from the parking lot behind the church a trail heads southwest into the forest, and from a small parking lot on Rock Point Road by the Episcopal Diocese Office, a hiking-only bog board trail leads into the forest.
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Looks like things should be ready for us by September 2021
Thank you Burl. Parks & Rec. folks.
"Summer 2021 Trailwork Begins
Scope of work has been finalized. Details include: reroutes, construction of small boardwalks, and widening and formalization of the primary trail trough the park, all with the intent of creating a more sustainable trail network that keeps people on the trails and water off of them. Work will begin July 6 and is expected to be ongoing for 6-8 weeks. Some trails will be marked as closed throughout the project."